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Good Life Project

How to Regain Focus & Attention | Gloria Mark, PhD

Good Life Project

Jonathan Fields / Acast

Education, Wellness, Self-improvement, Midlife, Health & Fitness, Intentional Living, Personal Growth, Living Well, How To

4.5 • 3.4K Ratings

🗓️ 4 May 2023

⏱️ 60 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

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Could Your Smartphone Be Destroying Your Focus? Have our attention spans, will power, mood and productivity just become hopelessly derailed for life? Answer is, it depends. What we do about our rapidly-diminishing attention and its effect on our work, lives, health, and relationships is mission-critical. 

In today's world, we're constantly bombarded by digital distractions. From emails and social media notifications to the constant buzzing of our smartphones, our attention spans are dwindling to an average of 46 seconds on a screen, before our attention flitters off to something or someone else. But what if the key to regaining control over your focus lies not only in your own habits but also in the way you interact with your devices? 


Our guest today is Gloria Mark whose new book, Attention Span: A Groundbreaking Way to Restore Balance, Happiness and Productivity reveals surprising results from her decades of research into how technology affects our attention and how we can take control, not only to find more success in our careers, but also to find health and wellness in our everyday lives.


In this intriguing conversation, you'll discover:


  1. The alarming effect of digital multitasking on our ability to focus and the implications for our mental health.
  2. The power of mindfulness practices in helping to combat digital distractions and build a stronger attention muscle.
  3. How the "future self" concept can be utilized to motivate ourselves to stay on task and resist the temptation of digital distractions.
  4. Simple yet effective environmental changes, such as turning off notifications, can make a significant difference in our ability to concentrate.
  5. The importance of deep, meaningful connections with others in living a fulfilling and creative life.


You can find Gloria at: Website | LinkedIn


If you LOVED this episode you’ll also love the conversations we had with Johann Hari on how to reclaim focus.


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Transcript

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0:00.0

We live in a digital world.

0:01.8

A lot of people propose doing digital detoxes.

0:05.8

And I would say, sure, it works for a while,

0:09.3

but it's just like a crashed diet.

0:11.1

You can cut off technology for a while,

0:13.9

but then you come back and have the same habits.

0:17.1

And so rather than thinking about

0:19.7

how we should be separating from technology,

0:23.1

let's think about how we can better integrate technology

0:26.3

into our lives.

0:27.4

And most certainly we're overusing technology.

0:30.8

We're using technology in the wrong way.

0:33.3

So what's better is for us to live with technology,

0:37.7

but learn how we can gain agency over our attention

0:41.5

when we use it.

0:42.5

Okay, so a question for you.

0:46.3

Could your smartphone, that device that you love

0:49.7

that seems to reside in whatever pocket

0:52.5

and seems to be closest to you in any given time,

0:54.7

could that very thing be destroying your focus?

0:58.1

Have our attention spans, our willpower,

1:00.6

our mood and productivity just become hopelessly derailed

...

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